John E. Sulston

Infobox Scientist
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name = John E. Sulston

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birth_date = March 27 1942
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nationality = Britain
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field = Biology
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known_for = Caenorhabditis elegans, Apoptosis
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awards = Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine 2002
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John E. Sulston, FRS (born March 27, 1942) is a British biologist and the 2002 Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine laureate.

Biography

Sir John Edward Sulston, FRS (born March 27, 1942) was educated at Pembroke College, Cambridge graduating in 1963. He joined the Chemistry Department in Cambridge, gained his PhD degree for research in nucleotide chemistry and devoted his scientific life to biological research, especially in the field of molecular biology. After working as a Postdoctoral researcher at the Salk Institute, USA for a while, he returned to Cambridge to work under Sydney Brenner at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology.

Sulston played a central role in both the "Caenorhabditis elegans" worm and human genome sequencing projects. He had argued successfully for the sequencing of "C. elegans" to show that large-scale genome sequencing projects were feasible. As sequencing of the worm genome proceeded, the project to sequence the human genome began. At this point he was made director of the newly established Sanger Centre (named after Fred Sanger and now the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute), located in Cambridgeshire, England.

Following completion of the ' working draft ' of the human genome sequence in 2000, Sulston retired from his role as director at the Sanger Centre. In 2002 he shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Sydney Brenner and H. Robert Horvitz, both of whom he had collaborated with at the Cambridge Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB). One of Sulston's most important contributions during his research years at the LMB was to elucidate the precise order in which cells in "C. elegans" divide. In fact, he and his team succeeded in tracing the nematode's entire embryonic cell lineage. Sulston is now a leading campaigner against the patenting of human genetic information.

In 2001, Sulston suggested that scientists should honour a Hippocratic Oath for Scientists.

In 2007 it was announced that Sulston will join The University of Manchester's Faculty of Life Sciences and will chair the Institute for Science, Ethics and Innovation, a new research institute focusing on the ethical questions raised by science and technology in the 21st century.

ee also

*Apoptosis
*History and highlights in apoptosis research
*Sulston score

External links

Biographies and profiles

* [http://biology.plosjournals.org/perlserv?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0040198 PLoS Biology: All for All]
* [http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/en/genome/geneticsandsociety/hg13f022.html John Sulston biography from the Wellcome Trust]
* [http://www.nobel.se/medicine/laureates/2002/index.html John Sulston: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2002]
* [http://www.npg.org.uk/live/search/person.asp?LinkID=mp59340 Portraits of John Sulston] from the National Portrait Gallery (United Kingdom)
* [http://www.channel4.com/learning/microsites/G/genetics/lectures/about.html John Sulston profile from Channel4]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/profile/john-sulston.shtml John Sulston profile from BBC4]
* [http://www.vega.org.uk/video/programme/18 Freeview Video of Fredrick Sanger in conversation with John Sulston by the Vega Science Trust]
* [http://www2.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/archive/Sulston02.html John Sulston profile from the Medical Research Council lab for Molecular Biology]
* [http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/page.asp?tip=1&id=3114 John Sulston FRS interview] from the Royal Society
* [http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/page.asp?id=1560 Sir John Sulston FRS - Worm genomics]

Publications

* [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=search&term=Sulston+S John Sulston scientific publications] from PubMed

News and Press about John Sulston

* [http://www.sanger.ac.uk/Info/Press/2002/021007.shtml Sir John Sulston awarded the 2002 Nobel Prize (press release from the Sanger Centre)]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/sci_tech/2000/human_genome/753685.stm The public servant: John Sulston]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2305733.stm British Scientists share 2002 Nobel Prize]
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,807110,00.html John Sulston: One man and his worm] from The Guardian